Friday, May 28, 2010

Watched kites . Would have liked to write a review, but it has left my mind in an incoherent state. Just as a ping pong spin serve, goes haywire on receiving unless given the right kind of counter spin , this spectacularly invented incoherent spin, is yet to be favorably returned by mankind. Most people, who are watching are either fan boys (rather girls) or those who had already made their mind to play ball thanks to the hype surrounding the film , or its their absolute deprivation of better things to do . No wonder they are having their balls go all over the place (figurative usage, for the naive, or those who's senses are numbed by something like , well kites). So, I would list some observations that come to my mind as sediments settle.

1) This film is magical. I remember as a young boy I used to see magic tricks in village fairs . There would be a magician, who would put lot of things like cards and flowers and pigeons in a magic hat. And still the hat remained empty. Vacuousness , despite having an assortment of contents, is still magic for me!

2) This film is high art.Its all Dadaism , and cubism with magic realism and existential agnst. To the lay eye that is. An expert eye can understand. Those things. Some things are pure surreal. Like how pushed to the wall, the hero suddenly pulls out a machinegun from his front pocket and shoots the entire goon clan. It was ethereal blend of Tarantino and Jim Carrey.

3) The starting lines give certain high funda's about kites flying in the sky and some gibberish that if two kites fly close by , then one has to get cut. Wonder what relevance all that had in the film. As if there was any relevance elsewhere ! Why was the film named Kites remains a mystery. may be there aren't many nouns in english which start with the letter K.

4) This film introduces 'saccha pyar' to the west. A disease more virulent than AIDS, and hitherto unknown to western world. AIDS would trouble only the afflicted person and his partner (we are not talking about broad minded people here ). A man is screwed when he gets this 'saccha' affliction. Everyone and his uncle, who is remotely close to such a person dies. So if you know someone with symptoms of this, please prefer some one with bird flue over him. Your chances will only improve.

5) In the starting scenes , our hero J chooses bboying and breakdance . In a couple dance competition! The female partner was reduced to mere prop , tossed all over the place! The same unfortunately is true about the film.

6) This film teaches us that the world , human beings etc are too vast to understand or predict. In so much , its a treatise on oriental philosophy. So all characters , turn more unpredictably than a noida cycle riksha. Only exception being the pure and unidimentional Tony . The message is that only evil is constant in the world. Rest all is ephemeral. Talking about time, this movie does deal with the illusory notion of time ! It moves back and forth, and back and forth, so much so that the viewers get an impression that time has stopped. You feel like you have spent ages, all in a matter of minutes. No wonder that in those particular frames the protagonist looks like a babaji.

7) The name 'Jamal' is perhaps the mascot for all crossover films or (botched) attempts thereof. Here too we have a poker faced Jamal who is in perpetual dilemma Johy Lever depicted in Dulhe Raja. Yar ye meri side hai ya uski !

8) In the final sequences, Kangna Ranaut shoots Jr Roshan. It was so natural acting ! She must have felt like shooting entire crew, for the royal neglect she got in the film. Every viewer in the theatre commiserated with the agony Hrithik had in those final frames. It was so their own !

9) The ending of this film was pretty much gangster like . Only difference, in gangster the two souls meet in sky. Here , they choose abyss. That alas, accentuated the difference between the two films. Atleast story/entertainment wise.

Final word. Despite criticism , the film might work. In fact work well. The huge release in india, will ensure that it would earn well just with openings. The west, will watch it with 'quaint' appeal. It perhaps is the first Indian film made for western audience and they may take note. It may also appeal to the hispanics, who dont know what to expect from a bollywood film. And it will serve as a good portfolio/dossier for Hrithik . Hollywood studios may ring him if they need a desi , arab or even hispanic in their side roles. To be fair to him, he tried hard, and looked great. Ekdum export class material.